Protective hand-wiping frontal garment

ABSTRACT

A protective hand-wiping garment for a user that has first and second leg portions adapted to fit over an upper frontal area of the user&#39;s legs. Each of the leg portions having an upper end and a lower end. The lower end of the leg portions, respectively, having lengths that are designed to be just above the knee of the average size user. The garment also has a belt portion connected to the upper end of the first and second leg portions for securing the garment around the user&#39;s waist. One or more fastening straps are positioned on the garment for fastening the first leg portion around one leg of the user and one or more fastening straps for fastening the second leg portion around a second leg of the user. It is preferred that there are at least one strap per leg for fastening each of the leg portions around the thigh just above the knees. A hand-wiping portion is positioned on one or both of the first and/or second leg portions so that it will cover the thigh area on the frontal area of the user. The user can wipe his or her hands on the thigh-wiping region without ruining their pants or endangering their skin with chemicals that if wiped directly on the pants might seep through and injure the skin.

This application claims priority of provisional application Ser. No.61/627,804 filed Oct. 18, 2011.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is directed to a frontal below the waist garmentfor use in construction, painting, cooking, gardening or other workingenvironments to provide a convenient, safe and absorbent surface forwiping hands in the region of the users thighs.

2. Brief Description of Related Art

Painters and constructions workers are in contact, on a daily basis,with chemicals, paint and other substances that can ruin their cloths.Often times, these substances can contain chemicals that can alsoirritate the skin. Most of the times, however, it is very inconvenientto have paint, caulk, mortar, adhesives, or other substances on theirhands and there is a need to wipe the hands regularly.

Many workers simply wipe their hands on the front of their pants in theregion of the thigh or sides of the thighs. This action ruins the pantsand can penetrate through the pant fabric to contact the legs.

Aprons have used to protect the pants. Other garments that cover thepants have also been used to protect the pants. Most of these garmentsare designed to cover the entire front of the leg from the waist to theankle or shoe. Such garments are hot and cumbersome.

Therefore, an object of the invention is to provide a frontal garmentthat offers a convenient wiping surface in the region of the worker'sthigh.

It is another object to provide a garment that protects the user'sgarment from the region of the waist to above the knee.

These and other objects will become apparent upon further reading of thedetailed description.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A protective hand-wiping garment for a user that has first and secondleg portions adapted to fit over an upper frontal area of the user'slegs. Each of the leg portions having an upper end and a lower end. Thelower end of the leg portions, respectively, having lengths that aredesigned to be just above the knee of the average size user. The garmentalso has a belt portion connected to the upper end of the first andsecond leg portions for securing the garment around the user's waist.One or more fastening straps are positioned on the garment for fasteningthe first leg portion around one leg of the user and one or morefastening straps for fastening the second leg portion around a secondleg of the user. It is preferred that there are at least one strap perleg portion is present for fastening the leg portions around each of thethighs just above the knees. A hand-wiping portion is positioned on oneor both of the first and/or second leg portions so that it will coverthe thigh area on the frontal area of the user. The user can wipe his orher hands on the thigh-wiping region without ruining their pants orendangering their skin with chemicals that if wiped directly on thepants might seep through and injure the skin.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the front of the garment;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the hand-wiping portion according to a firstembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the hand-wiping portion showing peel offsheets; and

FIG. 4 is a partial view of the front of the garment showing attachmentmeans positioned in front of and behind the garment with no hand-wipingportion attached.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the figures, and particularly to FIG. 1, there is showna front view of the hand-wiping garment A. The garment A has a first legportion 2 a and a second leg portion 2 b adapted to fit over an upperfrontal area of the user's lower abdomen and legs, particularly over theuser's thighs. Each of the leg portions 2 a and 2 b having an upper end3 and a lower end 4. The lower end 4 of the leg portions, respectively,having lengths that are designed to be just above the knee of theaverage size user. The garment also has a belt portion 1 connected tothe upper end 3 of the first and second leg portions for securing thegarment around the user's waist. One or more fastening straps 5 arepositioned on the garment for fastening the first leg portion 2 a aroundone leg of the user and one or more fastening straps 5 for fastening thesecond leg portion 2 b around a second leg of the user. It is preferredthat there are at least one leg straps affixed to or near the lower end3 of each leg portion for fastening the leg portions around the thighjust above the knees.

HAND-WIPING PORTION A hand-wiping portion 6 is positioned on one or bothof the first and/or second leg portions 2 a and 2 b so that it willcover the thigh area on the frontal area of the user. The hand-wipingportion 6 can be a single or multiple clothe/towel assembly. The usercan wipe his or her hands on the thigh hand-wiping portion 6 withoutruining their pants or endangering their skin with chemicals, which ifwiped directly on the pants, might seep through and injure the skin. Thehand-wiping portion is removable.

BELT The belt portion 1 wraps around the front of the users torso andincludes ties 8 on opposing ends of the belt portion. The ties 8 may beelongated pieces of fabric that can be tied together in a knot or bow.The ties 8 can optionally contain a fastening mechanism 9 such as aclasp, buckle, or Velcro® for ease of fastening. The belt portion 1,preferable contains elastic to permit a comfortable fit at the user'swaist. The belt portion and ties affix the upper end of the garment tothe user's waist.

LEG FASTENING STRAPS The leg fastening straps 5 are preferably elasticbands secured to opposite sides of each leg portion at the lower ends 4,respectively, thereof as shown in FIG. 1. In use, the user insertshis/her leg through the straps and pulls the garment up the legs to aposition above the knee. The leg fastening straps 5 keep the garmentclose to the leg for maximum protection. Alternatively, the legfastening straps can be ties or other fastening means such as clasps,hooks or the like.

As shown in FIG. 2, the hand-wiping portion 6 is a stack of separatecloths, towels or sheets that are attached together in a manner so that,for example, individual sheets 10 can be torn off exposing additionallayers of sheets or cloths beneath it. The sheets may be glued togetherat one end thereof with glue 15 (see FIG. 3) or can be connected to eachother by friction, static charge or other suitable means. In thisstacked or layered clothe embodiment, it is preferred to have a backingmaterial 11 at the bottom or behind the of the stack. The backingmaterial 11 is preferably a fluid resistant and water-resistant orwaterproof fabric to prevent seepage of fluids through the stack andonto the garment A. The backing material 11 has a front surface 20,facing the stack of towels, and a back surface 21, that lies against thegarment A. The back surface 21 may further comprise an attachment means12 for attaching the hand-wiping portion to the garment A. Theattachment means 12 can be any suitable means to safely and securelyattach the hand-wiping portion to the garment A. Examples of suitableattachment means are snaps, clips, clasps, hooks, Velcro®, magnets. Theattachment means must hold the hand-wiping portion in a substantiallyflat position against the surface of the garment. This flat position isimportant so that a users hands can easily be wiped by an upward,downward and/or side to side movement over the surface of thehand-wiping portion, without the hand-wiping portion swinging laterally.

Alternatively, the hand-wiping portion may be one or more single clothsor towels that is affixed to the garment A at one or more positionsbelow the belt portion so that the cloth or towel hangs down over thethigh region of the user. The cloth or towel or stack of peel off sheetsmay be affixed by attachment means 12. The attachment means can beclips, snaps, clamps, Velcro® hook and loop fasteners, or magnets orother means for easily attaching and detaching the cloth or towel orstack of peel of sheets from the garment. The single cloth or towelembodiment should be easy to attach, detach and reattach, as it willneed to be removed for cleaning or replacement when it is soiled.

The hand-wiping portion 6 may be made of disposable rags, terrycloth, orother absorbent material. Suitable materials for the cloths includeabsorbent materials such as natural fibers, synthetic fibers and blendsof fibers. The cloths can be woven or non-woven and can be of variousthicknesses. The cloths can be washable and reusable or disposable.

GARMENT The garment A should be made of a durable material. Preferredmaterials include cotton and cotton blends. Synthetic fabrics are alsocontemplated. Waterproof material and waterproofed backed materials mayalso be used. Materials that prevent absorption and seepage through ofcaustic chemicals such as acids or highly basic materials arecontemplated for applications wherein the user is working with thesetypes of dangerous materials and needs to wipe his/her gloved hands onthe garment. The fabric of the garment can be disposable ornon-disposable.

The garment has a width that substantially covers the front of the user.It is preferred that the garment wraps 50% of the circumference of theuser's body from the waist to above the knee. The garment can alsopartially cover the side of the user's legs and inside thigh. Thegarment does not wrap totally around the legs of the user but only thefront and in some cases the sides as well. The garment is a not short.

ATTACHMENT MEANS FOR RAG The attachment means 12 are for holding thehand-wiping portion securely to the garment. In the embodiment where theattachment means are clips or clamps as shown in FIG. 1, they can beattached to the garment by any means. FIG. 4 shows clip attachment means12 by themselves with no hand wiping portion attached. As shown in FIG.4, in one embodiment, the garment A defines openings 13 in the vicinityof the attachment means. The openings 13 are slits that are large enoughto receive clips or snaps there through for storage of the attachmentmeans behind the garment. This configuration may be helpful in the casewhere the user wishes to lean against a delicate surface and does notwant the attachment means to scratch the surface. The user would simplyplace the clips inside the openings so that they were between the userand the garment while in use.

EXAMPLES

In use, a painter in this example working in conditions where his/herhands will get paint on them, puts the garment on by affixing it at thewaste with the belt portion and further fixing the fastening strapsaround the legs just above the knees. As the painter's hands get dirtywith paint, the painter drops his/her hands down to the level of thethighs. The hands are then rubbed upwards and/or downwards on thehand-wiping portion and possibly side to side to remove the paint. Thepainter's pants and leg skin are protected from the paint. At theappropriate time, the worker removes one or more of the hand-wipingportions and either launder it and reaffix it to the garment or throw itaway. In the case of the stack of sheets, the painter removes theoutermost sheet and throws it away. The painter may also use theoutermost sheet to clean a surface if convenient.

With the dirty hand-wiping portion removed, the garment can be storedwithout fear of getting the storage area surrounding the garment dirtyand the garment is ready for use at a later time.

What is claimed is:
 1. A protective hand-wiping garment for a usercomprising: first and second leg portions adapted to fit over an upperfrontal area of said user's legs; each leg portion having an upper endand a lower end, said lower end having a length that is just above theknee of the user; a belt portion connected to the upper end of the firstand second leg portions for securing the garment around the user'swaist; one or more fastening straps for fastening said first leg portionaround one leg of the user; one or more fastening straps for fasteningsaid second leg portion around a second leg of the user; a removablehand-wiping portion on one or both of said first and/or second legportions; said hand-wiping portion positioned so that it covers thethigh area on the frontal area of the user.
 2. The protectivehand-wiping garment of claim 1, wherein said hand-wiping portioncomprises: one or more single cloths affixed to said garment byattachment means so that the cloth(s) lay substantially flat against afront surface of said garment below the belt portion.
 3. The protectivehand-wiping garment of claim 1, wherein said hand-wiping portioncomprises: at least one stack of disposable tear away sheets affixed tosaid garment by attachment means so that the stack lays substantiallyflat against a front surface of said garment below the belt portion. 4.The stack of disposable tear away sheets of claim 3, wherein said stackhas a backing material that is fluid resistant.
 5. The protectivehand-wiping garment of claim 3, wherein said tear away sheets are boundtogether at one end of said stack by glue.
 6. The protective hand-wipinggarment of claim 1, wherein said hand-wiping portion is affixed to saidgarment by one or more clasps, snaps, hook and loop fasteners, magnets,clamps, and/or hooks.
 7. The protective hand-wiping garment of claim 1,wherein said leg portions are waterproof material.
 8. The protectivehand-wiping garment of claim 1, wherein said hand-wiping portion isdisposable.
 9. The protective hand-wiping garment of claim 1, whereinsaid belt portion contains elastic.
 10. A process for producing aprotective hand-wiping garment comprising the steps of: a. producing agarment having: i. first and second leg portions adapted to fit over anupper frontal area of said user's legs; each leg portion having an upperend and a lower end, said lower end having a length that is just abovethe knee of the user; ii. a belt portion connected to the upper end ofthe first and second leg portions for securing the garment around theuser's waist; iii. one or more fastening straps for fastening said firstleg portion around one leg of the user; iv. one or more fastening strapsfor fastening said second leg portion around a second leg of the user;b. providing one or more a removable hand-wiping portions; and c.affixing said one or more removable hand-wiping portions on one or bothof said first and/or second leg portions; said hand-wiping portionpositioned so that it covers the thigh area on the frontal area of theuser.
 11. A protective hand-wiping garment for a user comprising: a.first and second leg portions adapted to fit over an upper frontal areaof said user's legs; each leg portion having an upper end and a lowerend, said lower end having a length that is just above the knee of theuser; b. a belt portion connected to the upper end of the first andsecond leg portions for securing the garment around the user's waist; c.one or more fastening straps for fastening said first leg portion aroundone leg of the user; d. one or more fastening straps for fastening saidsecond leg portion around a second leg of the user; e. a hand-wipingportion on one or both of said first and/or second leg portions; saidhand-wiping portion positioned so that it covers the thigh area on thefrontal area of the user.
 12. The protective hand-wiping garment ofclaim 11, wherein said hand-wiping portion comprises: one or more singlecloths affixed to said garment by attachment means so that the cloth(s)lay substantially flat against a front surface of said garment below thebelt portion.
 13. The protective hand-wiping garment of claim 11,wherein said hand-wiping portion comprises: at least one stack ofdisposable tear away sheets affixed to said garment by attachment meansso that the stack lays substantially flat against a front surface ofsaid garment below the belt portion.
 14. The stack of disposable tearaway sheets of claim 13, wherein said stack has a backing material thatis fluid resistant.
 15. The protective hand-wiping garment of claim 13,wherein said tear away sheets are bound together at one end of saidstack by glue.
 16. The protective hand-wiping garment of claim 11,wherein said hand-wiping portion is affixed to said garment by one ormore clasps, snaps, hook and loop fasteners, magnets, clamps, and/orhooks.
 17. The protective hand-wiping garment of claim 11, wherein saidleg portions are waterproof material.
 18. The protective hand-wipinggarment of claim 11, wherein said hand-wiping portion is disposable. 19.The protective hand-wiping garment of claim 11, wherein said beltportion contains elastic.